Magnolia Hotshots sophomore Jerom Lastimosa is fast proving he is one of the top guards in the PBA. And on Sunday, he made a case that he might be on the highest of tiers at the moment after outplaying Commissioner’s Cup Best Player of the Conference RJ Abarrientos in Magnolia’s 112-93 spanking of Barangay Ginebra San Miguel.
Jerom Lastimosa Was Motivated
Postgame, Rebanse caught up with Jerom Lastimosa and asked him if there was extra motivation facing a top-tier guard like Abarrientos—and he answered in the affirmative.
“Yes,” he replied, before praising his fellow topflight point guard.
“We all know na RJ Abarrientos is really a tough guy. Sobrang galing talaga ni RJ,” Lastimosa pointed out. “Isa rin ‘yun sa tinitingala ko, si RJ. Sobrang galing talaga. Talagang may gagawin kaming scheme sa kanya para hindi talaga siya maka-score.”
On Sunday, it should’ve been Ginebra scheming for Lastimosa as the former Adamson Soaring Falcon diced the barangay’s defense repeatedly on his way to 16 points off the bench on top of 7 assists. Abarrientos, meanwhile, scored 12 points but was just 3-for-7, committed 5 turnovers, and repeatedly got exposed on defense—sometimes by Lastimosa himself.
Making the Most of His Chances
Jerom Lastimosa’s superb game against Ginebra isn’t some one-off. The young guard has actually taken his game up a notch under LA Tenorio this season, and spectacular performances are becoming the norm rather than the exception. For the 28-year-old guard, he’s just making sure he’s rewarding his coach’s trust.
“Thankful ako lagi kay Coach LA kasi binibigyan niya ko ng chance to showcase my skill and to prove everyone na kaya ko rin makipagsabayan dito sa PBA. Hindi ko sinasayang ‘yung mga ganung opportunity,” Lastimosa said.
Jerom Lastimosa isn’t just holding his own and proving he belongs. He is showing he can be one of the PBA’s best lead guards one superlative showing at a time.
Little wonder then why there’s a little something extra when he’s going up against guards the caliber of RJ Abarrientos.
